As experts in the manufacture and assembly of printed circuit boards, we work to make our blog a helpful resource on PCB topics and the industries that we work with, including automotive, consumer electronics, aerospace and many more. Here you'll find insights into PCB design, tech trends, assembly issues, and trending topics in the general news media as they relate to printed circuit board technology.

HDI PCB Capabilities Matter in Modern Electronics Manufacturing

HDI PCB or High-Density Interconnector Printed Control Boards, are essential for many of today’s higher-end electronics. With finer lines and spaces, higher connection pad density and other refinements, they enhance electrical performance; as they help reduce both the size and the weight of any item. When a PCB has higher layer counts, it is the HDI PCB that may be the ideal option.

The electrical needs of high-speed signaling also mean an enhanced board and other requirements, and with all of these improvements come the higher frequencies, higher speeds and smaller sizes needed by mobile devices, laptops and more. As amplifiers of the functionalities of standard circuit boards, HDI PCBs also deliver some of the most innovative features in modern electronics. Their manufacturing processes demand a level of precision and skilled design that comes only from experts in HDI PCB production and fabrication.

Not all manufacturers have the ability to offer their clients the six different types of HDI PCBs that exist, or even any options in this technology. The six most commonly found are:

Through vias from surface to surface

Buried vias and through vias

Two or more HDI layers with through vias

Passive substrate with no electrical connection

Coreless construction using layer pairs

Alternate constructions of coreless constructions using layer pairs

Designers also have the option for positioning more components on both sides of their HDI PCB; and enhancements in design enable them to feature more components with even smaller dimensions (and closer together) on the boards.

And while a designer can create any number of styles and systems, it is quality that remains the standout factor. While consumer demand is driving the use of HDI PCB tech and its wide-ranging capabilities, manufacturers must still concern themselves with the overall quality and reliability in the tech.

This is why it is crucial they find fabricators and assemblers with authentic HDI PCB capabilities.

Advanced Circuits Offers HDI PCB Options

Almost any players in modern electronics require HDI PCB options, and that means learning if their preferred manufacturers have the ability to do HDI work. They should consider what the smallest and largest laser ablated vias can be, they need to know via aspect ratios (depth to diameter), the capture pad size, landing pad size, stacked via options, copper filled microvia options, and what Type I through Type III capabilities are available.

At Advanced Circuits, we have HDI PCB options within our advanced capabilities and work with such high-end organizations as the U.S. Military and other Defense groups, Aerospace firms, commercial industries, and the medical fields. We can supply the DOD as well as a tiny startup with the kinds of advanced components needed. Everything is done domestically, and most is in our one-stop facility that combines both design and production along with assembly processes.

PCB Artist Software – Free to download and use in its unrestricted format, it has more features than anything else on the market and enables clients to enjoy discounted pricing when submitting Standard Spec orders through the program.

File Review Software – The FreeDFM software evaluates a design and ensures that all essential data is included, adjusts or corrects design flaws, and sends back a report that itemizes all that was discovered and fixed.

Whether you utilize the free design software offered to all clients at the Advanced Circuits website; you upload your Gerber files to be evaluated by our file review software for all necessary data with automatic adjustments to design flaws; or you submit for a CAM engineer review; a design of even great complexity will be evaluated and adjusted.

We also offer live tech support. This is not customer support, though that is also available around the clock. This is support received from CAM engineers at any hour of the day or night, which ensures expert guidance.

There are never any minimum lot requirements forcing a firm to invest in far more PCBs or other items than are needed, and we refuse to impose tooling charges when clients work within standard specs, but even those seeking HDI options may find that tooling is waived if a reorder of a standard spec order is done as a custom spec the next time around.

We also offer our decades of stability as a wise reason to work with us. After all, with more than 25 years in the field, and a tremendously healthy bottom line, Advanced Circuits is among the most stable providers. We have an enormous physical plant capable of the entire process (from design to shipping), and we emphasize efficiency at all levels.

This is reflected in our remarkably fast and reliable shipping record. We have the BEST ON-TIME SHIPPING RECORD in the industry, and are now shipping 50% of orders early! In fact, we ship Standard Spec orders on time or they’re FREE!

Advanced Circuits also provides a personalized page for each client. It is a centralized place for itemizing quotes and orders, enabling reviews of hold notices and even requesting test certifications and other reports directly through the site.

Customization does not necessarily have to come at punitive pricing. Even those in need of HDI implementation in their PCB designs will find plenty to appreciate about our Advanced Circuits offerings.

Advanced Circuits has been the leading PCB quick turn manufacturer since 1989. We specialize in both Small quantity, Quckturn, and Production printed circuit board Quantities. Advanced Circuits is MIL-PRF-31032, MIL-PRF-55110G, AS9100C, ISO 9001:2008 Certified, IPC 6012 Class 2, 3 and 3A Qualified, and ITAR Registered. Advanced Circuits, with divisions in Aurora, CO, Tempe, AZ, and Maple Grove, MN is ranked among the top 3 circuit board fabricators in North America and is well-known for its expedited turn time capabilities and its reliable best on-time shipping record.